In Her Beginning
by frompemberley
Summary: After months of searching, the Doctor finds Melody.  Spoilers for "A Good Man Goes to War".
1. Finding Melody

The Doctor peeked out from behind the crate labeled "Sleeping Gas". The contents of the crate had proved quite effective in knocking out the pair of guards in front of the exit. Though, as an evolutionary superior species the Doctor had not been affected, the humans had fallen asleep almost instantly.

He walking out into the room and began to check the unconscious men for a key to the door. While he could have used his screwdriver, this military fort was sure to have equipment for detecting sonic waves. And he would prefer not to be noticed just yet, especially considering the nature of this particular visit...

As if cued by his thoughts, a little redheaded girl crawled out after him. Though the Doctor had only been looking for Melody Pond for two months, for her nearly a year had passed. She was now far more mobile than the last time he had met her, in her timeline anyway. The medical record the Doctor had found in her room indicated that she already ate solid food and was expected to begin talking within the next few weeks. Still, right now all of his attention was focused on making it out of the fort before someone noticed that the lump of blankets he had left in Melody's cradle was not a baby.

"How can humans stand to use these stupid keys?" the Doctor muttered to himself after failing to locate the desired key on the first guard. "They're far too easy to misplace..." Behind him Melody happily gurgled. She had found a gun lying on the floor and was busy examining her new toy.

"Don't sound so superior, Miss Pond," he said, mistaking her gurgle for agreement. "You are only part Time Lord. You still have to share some DNA with these primitive apes." Insulting humans was one of the ways the Doctor coped with stress. However, his foul mood ended when he located the key in the second guard's uniform.

He picked up Melody up off the stone floor and disdainfully threw the gun back to its sleeping owner. "Some things never change, do they River Song? Always too hasty with the firearms. Guns are bad. Understand?" Melody just shook her head and giggled. His attempt to imprint morals into the child wasn't having much effect. "Oh well, at least I tried." Then he inserted the key into the lock that had kept them inside. At that moment a shrill alarm sounded throughout the fort. Footsteps thundered down a nearby hallway. A whole army was alert, looking for the intruder.

"I think we've been noticed," the Doctor commented rather unnecessarily and tucked Melody under his arm before opening the door and running outside. The pair just made it through the door into the waiting TARDIS before guns began to fire from all directions. Hastily closing the door to keep out the bullets, he glanced down at his companion. She was busy staring at the inside of the control room, completely mesmerized. The Doctor set her on the floor and knelt down beside her.

"It's the bigger on the inside moment. Happens to everyone. This is the TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimensions In Space." He gave her a moment to absorb the information and then continued. "I'm the Doctor, by the way. I don't think we were ever introduced. Do you mind if I call you Melody? I knew met you when we were called something else, but that's a long time in your future. " She moved her dumbfounded gaze from the TARDIS to the man in the bow tie. It was quite plain that she hadn't understood a word he had just said. The Doctor laughed quietly.

"You know, that is exactly how I felt the first time I met you. But I guess that's the biggest spoiler of all."

Melody continued to stare at the Doctor before opening her tiny mouth. "Spoi-yer," she said solemnly. Then she crawled off to explore the rest TARDIS, leaving a very surprised Time Lord behind.

"Your first word, River Song. You never cease to amaze me," he whispered to himself. Then more loudly, he called out after Melody. "Come on now. I'm sure Mommy and Daddy can't wait to see you."


	2. Those Who Waited

For the Doctor, it took two months to find Melody. Those two months were agony. He spent them in a frenzied race across the universe, absorbing himself in his search to avoid the pain and guilt that haunted him. He felt responsible for what had happened, for his carelessness. Still, he eventually found her. For Melody, almost a year had passed since Demon's Run. She had grown and changed, but certainly wasn't a weapon yet. She had learned how to crawl and eat solid food, all without the influence of her parents. For the Doctor and Melody, the separation hadn't taken too long. But all Amy Pond and Rory Williams could do was wait. And they had to wait five years.

After the Doctor had left on his search, River had tried to explain as much as she could. It had taken Amy and Rory a while to get over the shock, but they still needed their baby daughter, not their old friend. River managed to find two more vortex manipulators, and soon the couple was back on planet earth. For months all they did was wait for a sign of their baby daughter. Amy spent hours every day watching their backyard for the police box. Rory made hundreds of phone calls to UNIT and Torchwood, hoping for some way to find the Doctor. Nothing ever happened.

Eight months after their return, Rory went back to work at the hospital, and Amy found a job at a shop. Still, they both came home right after work, and almost never saw their old friends. River would visit occasionally, and the three of them would stay up all night talking. Every time Amy asked, but River couldn't-or wouldn't-tell them when they would see Melody again.

Slowly though, life returned to normal. The Ponds started to find pleasure in things again. Amy started to smile again and started volunteering once a week at a homeless shelter. Rory decided to go back to medical school and study to be a doctor. Amid the happiness, the sorrow still existed. Though they desperately wanted to have more children, they couldn't bear to replace their missing daughter. Melody's parents never forgot her, and they never stopped waiting.

Then one Monday morning Amy was off work. It had been five years and thirty-six days since Melody had melted out of her arms. She decided to surprise Rory with brownies and was in the middle of mixing the batter. Suddenly there was a knock on the back door.

"Just wait a minute! I'll be right there," she called, quickly hiding the evidence of the brownies, in case Rory was the one at the door. Just as she was putting away the bag of sugar, she heard a voice behind her. A voice she knew very, very well.

"Waiting is not one of my many talents, Amelia Pond. And, as it happens, I have something rather important to deliver." Amy froze and then slowly turned to face the doorway. She didn't even notice the man standing there, wearing a bow tie and suspenders. All she saw was her daughter sitting in his arms. Her beautiful baby girl.


End file.
